Caelapes
The Federation of Caelapes, commonly known as Caelapes, is a sovereign island country in an archipelagic region of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Seditian Archipelago. It is primarily comprised of the islands of Lapes, Misley, Alessor, and Dreas-Taine, as well as many small islands. It does not share land borders with any nation, but is surrounded by the Roupe and Seditian Seas to the east and the Atlantic Ocean everywhere else. Caelapes has grown rapidly since the decision by Prime Minister Michael Finch in April 2007 to lift the veil of secrecy over the nation and bring itself into the international stage. Etymology Caelapes is derived from the Latin caelus, meaning "sky," and lapes, meaning "jewels." Although the story behind its name is uncertain, a popular belief is that the French discoverers were so enchanted by the beauty of the night sky above Caelapes that they began to call it "bijoux du ciel," French for "jewels of the sky." The term was corrupted by the later, poorly educated settlers, who called it "Ciebijoux," a poorly constructed variation of the original French. During the battles for its independance in 1443, scholars in the early Caelapene government retranslated the original French into Latin and combined the two words in a similar fashion to the later settlers, giving the name "Caelapes." The demonym for Caelapes is "Caelapene," which is used to describe anything originating from Caelapes. Time During the Whitney government, Caelapes officially changed from the Gregorian calendar to a fiscal calendar. Instead of the classical days and months, the Caelapene fiscal calendar is divided into days, weeks, and quarters, and is written as DD-WW Q#, FY## (Day-Week Quarter, Fiscal Year). For diplomatic purposes, the Caelapene fiscal year is defined as four thirteen-week quarters, with each new fiscal year beginning on October 1. The changes went into effect 01-01 Q1, FY08, or classically, October 1, 2007. Government and politics Structure Caelapes is a parliamentary democracy, with strong democratic traditions and a parliamentary government. Caelapene Parliament is a unicameral body. Parliament and the Prime Minister are kept in check by the High Council and the First Councilor, who, in tandem with the High Courts, interpret the laws passed by Parliament and both ensure that they are enforced and constitutionally valid. The ten Cabinet-level ministry offices are located in a district of Caelapes City known as Bluetown, derived from the vast amounts of blue in the area provided by the number of older Caelapene flags flying in the area. The offices are arranged around each other, with a central plaza providing an area designed for fellowship and relaxation during breaks. The Bluetown plaza houses Parliament, the offices of the Prime Minister, the High Council Building, the offices of the First Councilor the former Office of the United Nations Compliance Ministry (which also housed the Caelapene ICPIN Central National Office) - now vacant, and the offices of the Cabinet's ministries. Summary of governmental organization ; Name: Caelapes / Qælapeo (for conventional and legal use; "Federation of Caelapes / Féderati Qælapeo" is rarely used except by the state) ; Type of government : federal parliamentary democracy ; Capital : Caelapes City, Dept. Lapes ; Administrative divisions : Four departments and one Overseas Department*: Lapes, Misley, Alessor, Dreas-Taine, Caelapene Osmiu*. ; Head of government : Prime Minister Marcel Gati (since April 1, 2008). ; Cabinet : Ministers (usually around thirty) chosen by the Prime Minister to lead various ministries and agencies. Traditionally most, if not all, cabinet ministers will be members of the leader's own party in Parliament; however this is not legally or constitutionally mandated, and occasionally the Prime Minister will appoint a cabinet minister from another party. ; Elections : Following elections, the leader of the majority party in Parliament is usually designated to become Prime Minister. The First Councilor is elected directly by the people but may not be affiliated with the same party as the Prime Minister. Gati Government In April 2008, another Parliamentary election was held. The Progressive Party, campaigning on a message of change and real government, swept Parliament and took 543 seats from the Libertarian Party, ejecting Whitney―who, though well-regarded, did little more than reverse the decisions of the previous government―from office and installed Marcel Gati, a charismatic and seasoned politician and former Governor of Lapes. As Prime Minister, Marcel Gati refocused Caelapene efforts to domestic issues. By reducing defence spending, he opened funds for healthcare, welfare, and public transportation programs. Culture and social development Work in progress. Foreign relations and military Kutidie Qælapeo The Kutidie Qælapeo (ca: Armed Forces of Caelapes, colloq. Aeronavy Caelapes) is the primary military force in the federation and is tasked with the defense of the islands of Caelapes. The armed forces are divided into four branches. The Kutidi Legio (ca: Caelapene Legion) is the army branch, with The Caelapene Aeroforce, or Kutidi Æro, is tasked with air defense and offense, including the maintenance of Caelapene orbital materiel. The Caelapene Navy, called Kutidi Aqao in the Caelapene language, maintains a powerful fleet of primarily French vessels. Finally, the Arskutidi Qælapeo (ca: Home Guard of Caelapes) act as an internal military police force as well as anti-terrorism and pro-loyalty task force within all Caelapene territories. The armed forces are based off of the French military and widely employ French vehicles and armament. Although once primarily tasked with defense of the Caelapene islands, the armed forces are becoming increasingly mobilized outside of Caelapes on peacekeeping missions, allied support, and military projection. Foreign relations As a former member of the United Nations General Assembly, Caelapes had maintained mostly positive relations with foreign nations following its departure from secrecy in May 2007. However, following the Prothero Reformation and the Seditian Archipelago Incident, international opinion of Caelapes has fallen substatially. Economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations following the Incident have hurt the Caelapene economy and its citizens' view of the Prothero government. Diplomatic relations with Automagfreek and the other Gholgoth nations have been stalled since the British Londinium invasion. During the Whitney government, Caelapes joined a small alliance, the Coalition of Allied Powers. This alliance was disbanded during the Gholgoth war on British Londinium, when the nations of Gholgoth demanded its dissolution. Though Caelapene-Londinian relations have since spiraled, Caelapes maintains generally positive relations with former members of the Coalition. Category:Nations Category:Caelapes